Editorial provided by Susan E. Hume, Ph.D. Candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Oregon.

International students who come to the United States might wonder how their American classmates reached that educational level. The American education system appears to be very confusing. This is a brief overview.

To begin, because of the country’s history and cultural values, no national education system or national curriculum exists in the United States. The federal government does not operate schools.

Each of the 50 states has its own Department of Education, which sets guidelines for the schools of that state. Public colleges and universities receive funding from student tuition and the state in which they are located. Each state’s legislature decides how many tax dollars will be given to colleges and universities.

Most of the control of American schools is in the hands of each local school district. Each school district is governed by a school board, a small committee of people elected by the local community. The school board sets general policies for the school district. Students do not pay tuition in grades 1-12.

Generally, school districts are divided into elementary schools, middle schools or junior high schools, and high schools. Elementary schools contain students in kindergarten and 1st through 5th or 6th grades. Many children go to kindergarten when they are five years old. Children begin first grade at age six.

Depending on the school district, students follow elementary school with either middle school or junior high school. Middle school contains grades 6-8. Junior high school contains grades 7-9. Following that, students go to high school. High school contains grades 9-12 or 10-12.

High school students take a wide range of courses. All students are required to take English, math, science, and social studies courses. They also might be required to take a foreign language and/or physical education. A course can be one semester or two semesters long.

In the United States, education is compulsory for all children until age 16 or 17. Usually, a student graduates after he or she has successfully passed all of the required courses. Grades are given to students for each course at the end of every semester or term. Grades are:

A = Excellent
B = Above Average
C = Average
D = Below Average
F = Failure
(A student who fails a required course
must take the course again.)

In 1970, about half of all American students who graduated from high school went to college. Today, nearly three out of four American high school graduates go to college.

Admission to a College or University
Although admission policies vary from one college and university to the next, most determine admission based on several factors such as a student’s high school course of study, high school GPA, SAT scores, written essay, and possibly a personal interview:

• The college or university admission office considers whether a student has taken courses in high school that have prepared him/her for the more difficult college courses. A student’s high school grade point average (GPA) is also considered. A GPA is a quantitative figure representing a student’s accumulated grades. Each letter grade is assigned a number of points: A=4 points, B=3, C=2 , D=1, and F= 0 points.

A GPA is calculated by adding all of the points earned for each course grade and dividing the total points by the total number of courses taken. For example, a GPA of 3.0 means a “B” average for all of the courses taken.

• Most colleges and universities set a minimum SAT score that a student must achieve in order to gain admission. The SAT is the Scholastic Aptitude Test, a standardized quantitative examination taken by high school students throughout the United States. Each college or university decides the minimum SAT score it will accept.

• Colleges and universities often require applicants to write an essay. The length and content of the essay is determined by each admission office. Depending on the college or university, applicants might also have a personal interview with a representative from the admissions office.

There are four types of degrees:

Associate’s - completion of a program in a specific career field
Bachelor’s - conferred after completion of an undergraduate program
Master’s - first graduate degree
Doctorate - second graduate degree and final degree.

At the college and university level, most courses are only one semester or one term long. Each course is assigned a number of credit hours. Credit hours are usually based on how much time is spent in class. Most courses are 3 or 4 credits. However, some courses may be 1, 2, or 5 credits. All degree programs require students to complete a minimum number of credit hours before graduation. Most Bachelor’s degree programs in the United States don’t require students to write a final thesis. A final thesis is required for most Master’s programs and all Doctorate programs.

Selection for admission to a graduate program is similar to the factors used to determine admission to an undergraduate program. Instead of considering high school courses and GPA, an admissions office examines the student’s undergraduate courses and GPA. Most Master’s programs require students to have a minimum score on the GRE. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is similar to the SAT.

In most Doctorate programs, students continue to take courses until they have earned enough credit hours to attempt their qualifying examinations. After students pass the qualifying exams, they can begin to write his their final theses.

Because degree requirements can be very complex and vary from one program to another, all students should check with their departments and program advisors to make sure they are meeting the requirements of their particular program.